View Full Version : rain gear on windy mountains
johnny quest
08-04-2008, 09:59
i plan to use a poncho on my sobo but for the ascent of katahdin and going thru the whites should i have rain jacket and pants? pictures show many need them and i think a poncho would get whipped to death.
BookBurner
08-04-2008, 10:13
Your instincts about a poncho are correct. It'll whip around in the wind costing you warmth and dryness. You could minimize those consequences though with a make-shift belt, i.e. nylon webbing and a buckle. Personally, if you're comfortable with just a poncho for the rest of the trip, I'd make it work for the Whites and Katahdin as well.
Ramble~On
08-04-2008, 10:15
Johnny,
Semper Fi !
I used to lead week long boy scout hikes. Scouts love ponchos and that's great.
Ponchos are nice at the bus stop and great for sitting in the stadium watching whatever and I know that a bunch of poncho lovers are gonna probably bash me for saying this but they suck at keeping you dry and comfortable...they are beter than nothing at all but when compared to rain pants and a rain jacket, anorak etc. they can't compare.
Yeah, I spent my years in a poncho and spent plenty of nights wrapped up in a Ranger Roll. The military went with Gore-Tex pants and parkas for a reason...a big step up from the old Gumby suits and lightyears ahead of a poncho.
Scouts on those hikes were wet and often cold...scouts with rain pants and jackets were dry and happy. Water beads on the poncho and runs down and into your boots. They're floppy in the wind and IMO if there's a choice between a poncho and rain jacket and pants.....I'd leave the poncho at home.
Lone Wolf
08-04-2008, 10:30
Frogg Toggs
johnny quest
08-04-2008, 10:31
gumby suits. old corps. you probably even remember rubberbitches dont you?
johnny quest
08-04-2008, 10:32
yeah, my choices are frogg toggs, a silnylon poncho and a froggtogg poncho
Blissful
08-04-2008, 10:42
I'd take a rain jacket and pants, defiinitely. Most seem to like Frogg toggs, though my son ripped his pants out the first week. They are not the most durable.
johnny quest
08-04-2008, 10:44
im glad we had this talk
I'm liking my Marmot Precip jacket and pants a lot. You can see me in them in my gallery on top of Tennent Mt. in Shining Rock Wilderness. Can't tell it much in the picture but the wind was whipping pretty good during the time of the picture. It had poured earlier in the morning and the brush was extremely wet. The pants did great. You're going to sweat some in them. There is no perfect solution to waterproof without retaining persperation.
gravityman
08-04-2008, 14:36
If you have the cash, we've decided nothing beats a good lightweight Gortex jacket. Montbell's Thunderhead Jacket at 11 oz for medium is the one we've settled on after trying many rain jackets (Precip, Frogtoggs, ID design's eVent)
Gravity
In the summer months I never really wore my rain jacket for the rain, just for wind protection up high.
I just went through the Whites this last week. I did Gorham to Franconia Notch. Going over Washington it was 30-45 MPH steady wind, rain and 5 ft. visibility. Had my rain jacket and pants. I wore a wicking tshirt and wicking shorts underneath rain gear. This rain gear dam near saved my life. Couldnt, wouldnt have done it without them...I saw people wearing ponchos that just seemed clumsy in the high winds.But I didnt ask any of them how the ponchos were working for them either...
I also saw skinny teenage girls wearing short shorts and cotton zip up jackets. This made me really upset to see. Others were wearing jeans and seemingly whining the entire time! No wonder>>one kid even told me he came illprepared and was miserable...duh people.
Its Mnt. Washington, dont take it for granted!
Slo-go'en
08-08-2008, 22:25
I also saw skinny teenage girls wearing short shorts and cotton zip up jackets. This made me really upset to see. Others were wearing jeans and seemingly whining the entire time! No wonder>>one kid even told me he came illprepared and was miserable...duh people.
Its Mnt. Washington, dont take it for granted!
Yup, we call those people "dressed for death" in these parts. Ponchos are useless above tree line (and most other places too). A good wind shell will save your life.
WalkingStick75
08-09-2008, 09:12
If it is hot my rain jacket stays in my pack and I take some light wind pants. If it is cold then rain jacket and pants. Poncho is just a cheap alternative that the scouts will use because it it cheap and better then nothing.
I'm liking my Marmot Precip jacket and pants a lot. You can see me in them in my gallery on top of Tennent Mt. in Shining Rock Wilderness. Can't tell it much in the picture but the wind was whipping pretty good during the time of the picture. It had poured earlier in the morning and the brush was extremely wet. The pants did great. You're going to sweat some in them. There is no perfect solution to waterproof without retaining persperation.
I sweat in Goretex.
Wasted a lot of $$$ on a jacket years ago thinking it was some kind of miracle cure. It ain't, at least not in the typical weather we get here in the East, Spring thru Fall.
Goretex does work well enough in sub-freezing temps.
Gray Blazer
08-09-2008, 14:18
. A good wind shell will save your life.
Amen, Brother Ben!
Kerosene
08-09-2008, 18:14
I sweat in Goretex.As does everyone else when they're climbing a hill in reasonably humid conditions. e-Vent has been shown to have a much broader range of ventilation, but even then a jacket would benefit from pit zips and the cost is prohibitive to many. Frogg Toggs (http://www.froggtoggs.com/store/choose.asp?ItemNum=PA102&ItemType=%), or even Dri-Ducks (http://www.froggtoggs.com/store/category.asp?Category=01&Subcategory=04) for shorter hikes, are probably a better alternative if you feel that you must have use a parka. The Packa (http://www.thepacka.com/) is another option to consider that works for many folks.
If it is hot my rain jacket stays in my pack and I take some light wind pants. If it is cold then rain jacket and pants. Poncho is just a cheap alternative that the scouts will use because it it cheap and better then nothing.
But doesn't a poncho keep more than yourself dry (pack and gear)? I mean I know that you get wet in all rain gear to some extent, and I know that if it's windy it can whip around in the wind, but someone also mentioned using some kind of make-shift belt or something.
Walkie Talkie
08-09-2008, 21:56
I think different raingear is different situations. If it is cold and windy I want rain pants and a good jacket. If it is just warm than I will take my Packa. If it is hot I will take my rain kilt only. Dry duck are so inexpensive you could get frogg toggs and wear them until Glencliff and then use dry ducks or a poncho. Generally if I have to wear rain gear my feet are going to get wet no matter what. I think I would take a poncho w/ rain pants until VT and than send the pants home. Remember that raingear is also for warmth, not just for rain.
Peace WT